Organizations spend an enormous amount of time and money tracking employee efficiency and productivity. Amidst the cluttered workforce frameworks, managing employee leave and vacation time can be a challenging task for enterprise forerunners. Especially, for companies with a larger workforce, tracking vacation and leave is no less than a nightmare. Fortunately, with the help of an employee scheduling tool, the process can be simplified, and you can easily keep track of who is taking time off and when. How? Let’s find out!

Understanding Employee Scheduling Tool

Before we delve into how an employee scheduling tool can help you track vacation and leave, it is essential to understand what an employee scheduling tool is. A study by the Society for Human Resource Management software found that organizations spend an average of 4.4% of their payroll costs on paid time off, including vacation and sick leave. On the other hand, an employee scheduling tool can simplify creating, managing, and communicating work schedules. It automates the scheduling process, allowing managers to quickly create and distribute schedules to employees. Employee scheduling tools also provide real-time visibility into employee availability, shift swaps, and time-off requests.

How can an Employee Scheduling Tool help track vacation and leave time?

Now that we have a basic understanding of what a scheduling tool is, let's explore how it can help organizations track vacations and leave.

• Real-time visibility: With an employee scheduling tool, you can easily see who is taking time off and when. You can also see the total number of vacation days and sick leave an employee has taken. This real-time visibility can help you plan better and ensure that there are no scheduling conflicts.
• Automated approvals: Employee scheduling tools also provide an automated approval system for time-off requests. This feature ensures that managers can approve or deny a request quickly, reducing the need for manual intervention.
• Accurate tracking: The software also provides accurate tracking of vacation and leave, ensuring that employees are not taking more time off than they are entitled to. This feature helps to avoid any confusion or disputes around leave entitlements.
• Reporting: Employee scheduling tools provide detailed reporting on employee vacation and leave, making it easy for managers to track and analyze employee attendance patterns. This feature helps managers to identify trends and patterns in employee attendance, enabling them to make informed decisions.

Best Practices for Tracking Vacation and Leave using Employee Scheduling Tool

• Create clear leave policies: Clearly define your organization's leave policies, including how vacation time accrued and how employees can request time off. Ensure that all employees understand these policies.
• Use a centralized system: Use an employee scheduling tool that provides a centralized system for tracking vacation and leave time. This system should be accessible to both managers and employees, making it easy to view vacation and leave balances.
• Set up automated reminders: Set up automated reminders for employees who have not taken their vacation or leave time. This feature ensures that employees take their time off entitlements, reducing the risk of burnout.
• Train your staff: Train your staff on how to use the employee scheduling tool effectively. This training should include how to request time off, view vacation and leave balances, and swap shifts.

The bottom line

A report by Project Time Off found that US workers left a total of 768 million vacation days unused in 2019, with 236 million of those days forfeited, meaning they could not be rolled over or paid out. An employee scheduling tool doesn’t just benefit organizations; it also supports employees maintain a harmonious work-life balance for better productivity.